Project Details

Project goal

FLOW was the first project explicitly linking walking and cycling with congestion reduction. The project took a trans-disciplinary approach to congestion reduction, aiming to integrate the FLOW methodology and congestion assessment tools into the current standard transport impact analysis process. Its objectives were:

• To define the role of walking and (safe) cycling in congestion reduction;
• To develop and apply tools for assessing the congestion-reducing impacts of various walking and cycling measures;
• To demonstrate and assess the congestion reducing impact of walking and cycling;
• To actively support take-up of congestion reducing measures by public administrations;
• To increase awareness of the congestion reducing potential of walking and cycling;
• To foster the market for new walking and cycling products and services for congestion reduction;
• To provide facts on the congestion-reducing potential of walking and cycling.

Results

The FLOW Partner Cities (Budapest, Dublin, Gdynia, Lisbon, Munich, Sofia) applied improved microscopic and/or macroscopic transport simulation models developed in the project. FLOW also connected directly with the private sector (especially major urban transport consulting and planning companies), encouraging them to take an active role in innovative congestion reduction by integrating walking and cycling measures in the congestion-related products and services they offer. Building on these results, the tangible outputs of FLOW include:

• A portfolio of walking and cycling measures relevant for congestion reduction
• A conceptual framework on the role of walking and cycling in congestion reduction strategies
• Revised calibration of existing transport modelling software to more accurately reflect walking and cycling as urban transport modes and a user-friendly tool to help cities evaluate the impacts of walking and cycling measures on congestion
• Implementation scenarios in 6 FLOW partner cities
• Roadmaps for congestion reducing walking and cycling measures in 9 FLOW Exchange Cities
• Video presenting the FLOW principles and solutions for the layperson
• A series of three webinars and e-courses on the FLOW methodology, using the FLOW tools and the policy context for cycling and walking measures as a means of congestion reduction
• For practitioners: Walking and Cycling: A Multimodal Approach to Congestion Management - FLOW project summary and recommendations
• For decision-makers: Walking, Cycling and Congestion: 15 Quick Facts for Cities (available in 12 languages)
• For consultancies: Using FLOW’s Multimodal Transport Analysis Techniques in the Transport Planning Profession

Project partners

• Rupprecht Consult GmbH, Cologne, Germany
• PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG, Karlsruhe, Germany
• European Cyclists' Federation (ECF), Brussels, Belgium
• WALK21, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
• Polis, European Cities and Regions Networking for Innovative Transport Solutions, Brussels, Belgium
• FEHRL - Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories, Brussels, Belgium
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
• Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
• Traject NV, Gent, Belgium
• Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie, Wuppertal, Germany
• BKK - Centre for Budapest Transport, Budapesti Közlekedési Központ, Budapest, Hungary
• City of Dublin - Dublin City Council, Dublin, Ireland
• City of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
• City of Munich, Munich, Germany
• Sofia Urban Mobility Center (SUMC), Sofia, Bulgaria
• City of Gdynia, Gdynia, Poland

Follower

• City of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
• City of Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia
• City of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
• City of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
• City of Ploiesti, Ploiesti, Romania
• City of Örebro, Örebro, Sweden
• City of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• City of Izmir, Izmir, Turkey
• City of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
• City of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia